The Hunting Songs
by AbsentDaydreamer
Summary: The Doctor and Rose visit Halycon, a planet famed for its crystal caves. But lurking in them is a creature that hunts the innocent, calling to their very souls, before devouring them. What can the Doctor and Rose do to help, especially when the creature chooses the Doctor as its next victim?
1. Singer of the Venator Carmen

**So, a new story :) I'm not so confident with writing the wonder that is the tenth Doctor, so please, tell me what you think :) I always welcome constructive criticism, and I know how good it feels to be told if you're doing well too :)**

**Disclaimer: So, my friend gets to do his performing arts lesson with a Dalek, and gets to go meet Matt Smith...that's about all the link I have with Who. It's downright depressing. :L**

**Please, enjoy :)**

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She sings at night, they say. Be wary.

She sings the song that calls most to you, they say. She draws you in and devours your soul.

They say she hides in plain sight. No one can catch her, but she's there. And when the moons of Venator and Carmen are risen, and the cold wind howls through the crystal caverns...she sings. She calls to you, and you must be wary. Don't listen to the call, however sweet. Because then She will see you, and She will know you. And when She knows you... All shall be lost.

Be wary, they say. Don't travel the caves when the moons of Venator and Carmen are risen, and the cold winds howl through the crystal caverns.

Or She will see you, and She will devour your soul.

* * *

"Oi."

The Doctor didn't glance upwards at Rose's voice , teeth clamped around a thin silver device, easily mistaken for a pen, if you didn't see the blue light protruding from one end.

The reason it was there was simply that his hands were full, twisting a complicated set of wiring into an even more complicated shape, resembling a sort of Christmas bow over a small metal box. The little box beeped and whirred alternately as he shifted wires into different slots, his brows furrowing in concentration.

"mmph." was the most eloquent reply he could manage for his companion, and she sighed from her seat on the grated flooring of the TARDIS console room, looking down into the maintenance hatch.

"Well said." Rose Tyler quipped, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and smirking. "Now get out of there and actually listen. I know you won't if you're tinkerin'."

At this, he did look up, eyebrows shooting up indignantly, a rather comical sight as he attempted again to speak around the screwdriver, resulting in a very muffled and indistinct sound. She rolled her eyes, and leaned down into the hatch, tugging the screwdriver out of his mouth and grimacing.

"You're disgustin'." She gingerly placed the screwdriver down onto the grate as he shot her a look of amused annoyance.

"Rose, I am not tinkering. I am fixing the...the..." He trailed off as amber sparks erupted from the box and he concentrated all his attention on stopping said sparks.

"The what?" She asked with a grin, tongue between teeth.

"The-Rose, pass me the screwdriver." He replied absently, and she reached for it.

"Settin'?" She asked. This was a usual occurrence now, sometimes he found himself needing help with 'repairs', and they spent a fair bit of time chatting, her occasionally helping him when his hands were full.

"63." He replied. "4 second burst, green wire." He frowned, forcing said wire into the spot he wanted it and she did as he asked, leaning down into the hatch, her face now close to his. He glanced briefly at her, a small smile lighting his features.

"Well?" He asked. "What did you want?"

She didn't glance at him, watching the screwdriver as it whirred, glowing a bright blue and melting the wire into its slot. The scent of molten metal filled his senses for a brief second, mingling with the strawberry scent of her shampoo.

"Well. I've been thinking," she murmured, turning the screwdriver off, but staying where she was, peering down into the hatch, blonde hair falling down in lazy tendrils around her features. He grinned.

"Dangerous habit for you apes, or so I hear." he joked, imitating his past self, and gaining an eye roll.

"Oh shut up." She replied happily , moving back to allow him to clamber out of the maintenance hatch. "What I was gonna say was...I wanna learn to drive."

"Drive?" He asked, dusting off his brown pinstriped suit, before darting into action, his usual blur of colour and sound and general madness. "Where? The planet of Saa does this BRILLIANT driving course, you should try that one, the license is valid across three different galaxies, and it covers everything, hover cars, racing cars, ships, mopeds-"

"Doctor."

"-not that a moped is all that hard to drive, but still, you try it in a low gravity situation, in the snow, thats hard, so all in all-"

"Doctor!"

He cut off, her hand covering his mouth, his eyes wide and innocent and puppy dog like as she laughed at him.

"The TARDIS. I wanna learn to drive the TARDIS."

If possible, the eyes got wider, and he jerked his head back to speak.

"Why would you wanna go and do a thing like that?!" His voice hitched , the pitch matching the height of his raised eyebrows.

She dropped her gaze, walking over to the console, and brushing a hand against it softly.

"Well, I just thought it'd be good, you know? Being able to..."

She avoided his gaze still as he made his way over.

"Rose, I can drive, it's ok." He protested and she snorted.

"Oh, never mind. Forget it." She gritted out and turned away from him even more.

His brows furrowed as he surveyed her, watching her fidget uncomfortably. It was worrying him a little to her mood shift so suddenly. "What's wrong?" A thought occurred to him.

"Is there something wrong with my driving?" he asked, "because I know I tend to end up where I say we won't, but really-"

"No!" She interrupted, still facing away. He stared at the back of her head, trailing off. "Nah, it was a stupid idea. Forget it , ok?"

He reached out, taking her thin shoulders firmly in his hands and gently forcing her around to face him.

She still avoided looking at him directly, and he noticed a faint blush across her cheeks.

"Rose, I'm not just going to forget it. What's wrong, hmm? Look at me."

Her eyes flickered upwards at his tone and then she knew he'd won, just by the earnest look in his eyes, and the reassuring brush of his thumbs across her shoulders.

She sighed.

"Look, I just thought it'd be nice if I could take YOU somewhere for a change, yeah?"

His hearts melted a little.

"Well...Maybe...Maybe I do need a hand every now and then."

He started hopefully, and her eyes twinkled, her lips pulling up into a smile, and all was well again.

He positively beamed.

"TARDIS driving 101! Great fun! What could go wrong?"

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** Apologies for the abrupt ending, it's a tester chapter to see if it'll get any interest . Press that little review button to let me know what you think! Please? :L **

**I'll try to update as soon as possible, but having just moved from Europe to Asia, I'm a little all over the place. This was written ages ago and I really wanna get it out there :) **

**See you soon I hope!**

**AbsentDaydreamer **


	2. The Crystal Caves

**:O People like this story! I'm so happy! Danke for your reviews , they made me a very happy writer!**

**Disclaimer: Think Santa would give me the rights to Doctor Who? Cos I don't own it.**

**Enjoy!**

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"Left!"

The Doctor winced as the TARDIS groaned slightly, protesting at the overly eager motions of his companion. She wasn't entirely awful at driving, per say, he thought with a slight frown. She just hadn't quite grasped the idea that it was working WITH the Time Machine, rather than controlling its movements. He'd already had to dive in once or twice to stop them crashing into certain time zones.

Rose nodded, brows furrowed in concentration, and turned a dial sharply to the left, actually causing a spark. The whole room shuddered in response. She instantly took her hands off the console, holding them high, wincing.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" she gasped, looking close to tears of frustration.

Now that wouldn't do at all.

He stepped closer, so close that his front brushed her t-shirt clad back, reaching out a hand to still her motions.

Rose turned slightly to look at him, her white teeth worrying her lip.

"I'm doin' awful, aren't I?" she asked sheepishly.

He pulled a slight face. "Well." he began, dragging out the word. "not awful, just..."

He took her hand in his, guiding it to what looked like a bubbly paperweight. Her eyes followed the motion helplessly.

"...inexperienced. You just have to pay attention to what she wants too, see?"

She nodded slowly, twisting the paperweight slowly, until the groan became a smooth hum, and the room stilled.

"Now landing," The Doctor murmured in her ear, "is very simple. Listen to her, she'll guide you through it.."

Rose shivered as his breath brushed the skin at her neck, and tried to do as directed, listening to the subtle changes in the hums of the console, letting the Doctor lead her to different switches and levers, until the familiar landing wail emanated around the room.

* * *

"So, come on then," Rose said, steeping slowly out of the doors. "Where are we?"

She loved this bit of the adventure, it never got old, stepping out into the unknown. And this did not disappoint.

It was a huge cavern, built up of huge structures rising like pillars to the ceiling. And each and everyone was crystal, towering above her head, surrounding her with their luminescence. Most of the crystals were almost transparent, but some were misty, different colours that drew the eye.

It took her breath away, and she beamed at the Doctor as he took her hand, whistling in appreciation.

"Not bad." He mused. "Not bad at all."

His voice echoed slightly, the sound bouncing off the structures and multiplying until it sounded like several Doctors talking at once. And then beneath that, there was a harmonious note in the air, almost tangible, like a choir all around them. He tugged her along with him before she could mention it, walking away from the TARDIS and into the unknown.

"Where's all the light coming from?" She asked him, and he pointed up, to the ceiling. She hadn't noticed that it was crystal too, geodes forming around small holes that allowed thin shafts of light through.

"If we're where I think we are," The Doctor said confidently, "Then out there are two moons, orbiting and only crossing paths once in a month. Judging by the amount of light, they're in alignment tonight. Lucky us, eh?"

"And where are we?"

"Where?" He replied. "A little planet called Halcyon. They're famed for these caverns, see."

She nodded, and the conversation trailed away as they both admired the view around them.

She didn't get bored of the walk, surprisingly. Though it did indeed take a while, she had the Doctor's hand swinging in hers, and they kept up their usual banter.

And then there was the light of the twin moons entering the caverns through the thick crystal roof, refracting off the many faceted structures, and multiplying again and again and again into a myriad of colours until she could no longer tell where the source came from. The sound of their footsteps, though weak, also rebounded off the structures, filling their path with sounds that echoed like the chimes of bells. Rose could swear she could still hear the singing.

"Here, you've done well pickin' this place." Rose said softly, her voice joining the chorus of sound.

"Me?" The Doctor's brows raised innocently. "I only stopped you from crashing into the 70's, this was all you, Rose Tyler. Job well done, too. Top banana! There's not an evil monster in sight, or a villain hell-bent on destroying the planet, or even an angry mother ready to slap a poor defenceless alien."

His eyes sparkled with mirth, even as the light show around them began to shift and to dim to a single orange-y glow. The floor beneath them was no longer littered with chips of crystal either, just coarse and uninteresting mud and grit and stones. They were going deeper underground, the roof above becoming dull stone and not stunning crystal, taking the music with it.

"Oi, watch it," Rose grinned. "It's not too late for me to take us back to the TARDIS. Mum could probably use a visit."

The horrified look on his face was enough to make her laugh, and he joined her, though his chuckles faded away as he looked down the cavern.

"Is it just me or does that orange glow look suspiciously like a fire?"

* * *

**I can't promise to be as quick, still unpacking the house so bear with me :) Please, leave a review to let me know what you love, what you hate, or even if it was just "meh" **

**Thank you! See you soon! **

**AbsentDaydreamer **


	3. Fire and Ancient Eyes

**Hello again, and a Merry Christmas to you all! Happy New Year too, now that I think on it. Any good New Years Resolutions? Mine will be to keep up with my updates! Thank you so much for your reviews and follows, they mean so much to me. I had one person tell me it read like a real episode and for me, that was the highest praise I could ever get so thank you!**

**And now on with the show!**

* * *

They followed the source of the light for a few minutes, now silent. The Doctor's face was focused, as though some instinct was telling him something was wrong. personally, Rose suspected it just meant civilisation, but she wasn't going to question him. He'd been right on far too many occasions for that.

The light was more intense now, and she gasped as they rounded a final corner, the path widening out into one massive cavern. She could barely see the ceiling above them, nor the walls on either side, but she could make out tall structures rising up above them, like pillars hewn from the rock.

"Oh, thats beautiful." The Doctor crowed, staring up at the rocks around them. "Look," he gestured to the nearest one, and she did so, seeing that they were rooms, numerous rooms hollowed out, and that the windows all had intricate markings around them, too intricate for her to distinguish anything at this distance. "Brilliant, isn't it?"

She beamed at him, glad that his features had cleared in the face of this newest distraction.

"Absolutely brilliant how species adapt to different situations.." He began, starting off on a ramble, but Rose was no longer listening, looking around. The light had caught her eye again.

"Doctor." She called, stopping.

"...I mean, judging from these markings, we're in the midst of a highly religious race.."

Here he whipped out his glasses, the glasses that Rose had fondly termed his 'sexy specs', pausing briefly to study the rocks, before walking again.

"Doctor." She tried again, more insistently.

"I remember once finding a place like this, absolutely lovely race if not a teeny bit barmy, but it was never quite on this scale...Rose?"

He turned, eyebrow raised, half expecting to see that she'd wandered off, but no, there she was, in her lovely denim jacket with her hair tied up into that messy bun that made her look even more-

Her voice cut into his thoughts.

"I found your fire."

This made him focus, he hurried over to her, looking to where she gestured.

It was a fire indeed, a ring of it, set up like some sort of pen, with the flames as the fence. And in the centre, he could see...

"Is that people..?" Rose asked him softly, and he frowned, running towards it.

It was people, he realised, trapped in the ring of flames like animals. They couldn't be comfortable, the flames were intensely warm, even at this distance. But before his rage could kick in, he noticed something. They weren't making a fuss, weren't calling for help. They weren't doing much of anything at all really, just sitting in a small huddle, about seven of them, just sat there quietly.

And they were...wrong somehow.

"Let's get a closer look." he murmured, and called out to them.

"Hello?"

The one nearest them, a young man, turned his head towards them, inquisitive.

"Yes, hello." The Doctor called softly, his voice even and reassuring. "Who are you then, hmm? Who put you there?"

The man tilted his head slightly and moved closer. Rose beside him gasped, somewhere between sympathy and horror.

"His eyes..." She breathed and he nodded.

"I'm so sorry..." He murmured to the young man, the young man with the ancient haunted eyes, eyes that were dead to the world, fogged over to almost the point of blindness. His skin was paper thin it seemed, pale enough that they could see the veins pulsing weakly. His figure was skeletal, something the Doctor hadn't noticed originally with the thick clothes he was bundled into, cloth with runes painted all over it like some kind of ward.

"Doctor, what's happened to him?" Rose asked in his ear, she had moved closer to him. He shook his head.

"He's a young man, but its like his energy has just...gone. Everything, his cells are just...giving up. Its not a sickness though, it looks like it was an instantaneous shift. Everything at once, just...stopped."

"Or was taken away." A woman's voice called.

They turned together, and the Doctor removed his glasses, smiling politely at the figure in front of them. She was thin, her own pale skin glowing against the glare of the fire. Her dark hair was twisted into an intricate braid, and she made Rose think of some tribal woman, more runes drawn onto her skin, at her forehead and her wrists. A necklace had still more runes attached like a charm bracelet, a little gaudy for Rose's tastes, but it suited the woman somehow. It was her eyes that were the most interesting. They hadn't been able to see it on the young man, as fogged over as his eyes were, but the woman's were like a cats, wide and amber, with a pupil that was thin and slitted in the bright light of the fire.

She stared at them.

"Strangers do not come here." she said, her voice rich and accented, mistrust obvious. "Least of all through the crystal caves. Who are you?"

"Ah." Said the Doctor. "but you see, we're not your usual strangers." He fished into his pockets, pulling out a small wallet and flipping it open.

" We're whatever it says here."

The woman's brow raised.

"The paper is blank."

"Ah." He pulled it back, pulling a face.

The woman's glare increased.

"I shall ask again. Who are you?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, aware that his next words would either save them or endanger them.

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**I hope you enjoyed! I shall post up as soon as I can but until then, let me know what you think!**

**AbsentDaydreamer x**


	4. Tallies on the kitchen counter

**Forgive my delay, I've been settling into the new college here and have a LOT of work to catch up on. Being a weekly boarder makes it hard to post up too, so it should, fingers crossed be an update every weekend. Wish me luck!**

**And now, please enjoy! Let me know what you think! I have a Wholock one-shot written, who would be interested in reading that? Let me know! **

**A big, big thank you to my reviewers and followers :) I love you all xx **

**Disclaimer: I may well own a pair of sexyspecs ala David Tennant, but I do not own him, regrettably. Or Doctor Who for that matter. I just...borrow it all.**

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"I make this, what, alien prison number six? Seven?" The Doctor said cheerily as the wooden door slammed shut behind the pair.

Rose snorted, getting herself as comfy as she could on the stone slab that stood for a bench.

"Try eleventh." She quipped. "Since you've regenerated, and I'm not counting the prisons on Earth."

He shrugged softly, not overly bothered. Rose wasn't angry about it and they'd be out of there in no time as soon as the whole misunderstanding was settled. That woman, the one they had met out by the fire had summoned guards despite his insistence that they were just travellers, which didn't really surprise him. After all, most people would be suspicious of two strange people that looked different to them. It was natural. What DID intrigue him were the people in that circle of flame, and that haunted look in their eyes.

They had aged spontaneously it seemed, perhaps not in the cliched wrinkles-and-grey-haired-granny way, but in a way that was worse. He wasn't one to believe in Gods and spirits and all that mystic mumbo jumbo, but that was the only way to describe it. Their spirit had ...well, gone. Drained. And he was determined to find out why.

"Maybe we should keep a tally." he remarked casually, slipping down to sit beside her, shrugging out of his trench coat. It was chilly in the prison cell, most probably due to the lack of light and the unforgiving rock surface. Still, he didn't feel the cold like a human did, and Rose was shivering slightly, enough that he decided to play the gentleman.

He settled the coat over her like a blanket, pulling her in to rest against him, an action for which he received a look of gratitude and a smile, which immediately made the atmosphere a bit warmer.

"Oh, I am. " She answered him , tongue darting between her teeth cheekily. "Did you not see the board in the kitchen?"

He pretended outrage.

"You have such little faith in my prison avoidance skills, Rose Tyler, I am shocked at you!"

Rose rolled her eyes, snuggling into his side to get herself more comfortable, feeling content to sit there for the time being.

"There's nought to have faith in, Doctor." She mumbled, sleepiness washing over her. "'S your prison escaping skills that I tend to rely on."

"Escaping would be useful, I agree, but really all we'll need here is to have a quick word, ask to be taken to their leader, and Bob's your uncle, we're free. Just settle down, have a quick kip and I'll sort this out once you're up."

Rose hummed contentedly into his shoulder, drowsy. She stirred enough to blink blearily up at him.

"When's the last time you slept?" She asked, a frown beginning to pucker her forehead.

He thought back.

"...Might have been en route to DisneyPlanet." He pulled a face, his nose wrinkling in a way that Rose found utterly adorable. "That was what, a day or two ago?"

She snorted.

"Try a week."

His eyes widened in response, but she continued.

"You need sleep too."

Now that he did think on it, he was a little tired, a nagging sensation to sleep at the back of his mind, egged on by the fact that he was just so comfortable with Rose's head snuggled into his shoulder.

He smiled, and pressed his lips softly against the top of her head. It was an impulse that he couldn't deny himself.

She made a soft sound, content and almost entirely sleeping. The Doctor chuckled, leaning his head against her and allowing his body to wind down, into sleep.

He would soon find out, however, that it is a very bad idea for prey to let their guard down, even when they are not yet aware that they are being hunted.

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**I am sorry it's so short this time, like I said, catch up work. The next will be longer, and will involve PLOT. Dun dun dddddduuuuuunnn! And y'know, just maybe some lovely Rose-Doctor-will-they-wont-they goodness that Russell T Davies delighted in taunting us with :) Please leave a review in the little box :3 **

**Until the next time,**

**AbsentDaydreamer xx**


	5. Sleeptalker

***needs a distraction from how long I've been away.***

**Hey look! Plot!**

***hides***

**...seriously though, sorry for taking a while. Enjoy though! Credit to my friend for the dream description, he's an ultimate whovian :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, oh, so much would be different. Rose/Doctor would happen. Donna would have her memory...etc etc...**

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_It was all there in front of him. His home. His life. The one that had seemed so carefree and devoid of punishment and loss. The one that even his later selves took for granted. Looking back, it all seemed like child's play. Moving back and forth, running and fleeing their call whenever they beckoned him back to their planet._

_One sun shone on high, lighting the land below, lighting the orange sky for all to see and bask in their comfort. The trees sparkled and shined, their leaves of pure silver glistening in the morning sunshine and they seemed to all but catch fire in the morning's embrace._

_The mountains sat in the distance, resolute and strong as their took their place in the world around them, keeping watch over the dry land below as it shone and dazzled the people walking the planet took in it's simple splendour and every sight it had to be hold, taking for granted the beauty that had been handed to them by fate._

_The Doctor stood watch. He didn't know where he was, or from where he was looking, but it was all so real. The world as he'd known it. The land, the sights. And even the smell of the dry, dusty landscape and the earth moved with the flickers of the wind._

_His eyes met the south, the horizon beyond the mountains as another light beckoned itself into reality. The second sun of his home world rose just beyond his vision, glimmering just beyond the snow coated tips of Solace and Solitude. The light reflected and bent, waved it's way through the crystals of white as the mountains began to glow, magnified by the sunshine and the ice projecting it. And oh, how it all sang to him, calling him home. Everyone was waiting for him, he knew somehow. Everyone. Be they human or Time Lord, every person he had lost along his way was waiting for him here..._

_He just had to follow their voices..._

* * *

The Doctor found himself shaken back into reality with a jolt, and he had to take a second to remember what was real, where he was. He took a deep breath, his eyes wide and hazy, trying to focus.

His hand, he realised suddenly, was outstretched in front of him, flat against the wooden door of the small cell. What...?

"...Doctor...?"

Her voice was small, concerned, and he looked to the source. Rose stood beside him, lips parted in confusion. Her dark brows were knitted in concern. One of her soft hands rested on his forearm and he stared at it, uncomprehending.

"Oh!" She took back the hand, the fingers wriggling awkwardly as though unsure of themselves. He mourned the loss of her warmth. "Sorry. 'S just...you weren't wakin' up."

He tried desperately not to think of her cute her accent was when she was tired, and only just awake.

...what was wrong with him?

She stared at him, her teeth worrying her lip as she mulled over what to say. To be brutally honest, it had scared her when she had woken up so abruptly, pulled from her slumber by the Doctor standing and pacing the length of the cell, calling out in an ancient and musical language that she did not recognise.

At first, he had seemed so awake, but then she had seen his eyes were tightly shut. She had never pegged the alien for a sleepwalker, but then again, she slept so little that did not really have a basis for comparison...

He tried to make sense of it all in his mind. He had heard...sining in his head. Voices of countless companions, layered into an intricate song that called to him like nothing ever had. He had even heard Rose's voice in the harmonies hadn't he...? There had definitely been a Rose-ish quality to it, anyway. And he considered himself an expert by now.

Then again, he could have sworn he'd heard the TARDIS too...

That brought to mind the Bad Wolf, an idea which he quickly dismissed. He could never dream of a threat to Rose's safety in such a wonderful light.

"...Rose?" He asked her softly, glancing around. "...when did i move?"

She fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Well, I dunno. But when I woke up you were...babblin'...and sort of pacing around. But you were definitely still asleep."

Babbling wasn't exactly out of the ordinary now, was it? This regeneration had one hell of a thing for it. Not that he'd ever sleep-talked though.

"Babbling about...?" He prompted, and she frowned.

"I dunno, you were doing the whole alien thing." She tried to repeat some of what he had said, and it came out as a strangled, garbled mess. He couldn't help but smile at the attempt.

"...stranger." He mused, thinking back to the dream. "It's almost as if the telepathic pathways of my mind were hijacked by an outside source...using my own memories and thoughts to induce a certain reaction...oh." His eyes widened suddenly, his hands jerking up to run through his hair in a gesture familiar to Rose. "Oh...thats clever."

"What?" She asked, prompting when he stared at nothing for a few seconds.

His eyes jerked to hers.

"I think we need to organise a little meeting with our jailor. " He replied firmly, and Rose shivered a little to see a hint of the Oncoming Storm brewing in his eyes.

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**Next- Interrogation and hunts...**

**Please review, it makes a happy writer, and thus a quick one :) love you, those who do already review, and also if you've taken the time to read the story :) i am eternally grateful :) until the next chapter, **

**AbsentDaydreamer**

**P.S, go check out my wholock fic, entitled Hope, it's Sherlock after the reichenbach, and the Tenth Doctor, series 2**


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